2020 Eat. Drink. & Be Marion Pub Crawl “AT HOME” Fundraiser Exceeds Fundraising Goals
This year the annual Eat. Drink. & Be Marion Pub Crawl Fundraiser held on July 16th looked much different. Past events held in the Uptown District featured live music, food and drink specials for upwards of 400 people. The proceeds from ticket sales, sponsorships, and online experiences auction go towards funding the Uptown Marion Main Street programs and small business support. “We know that this funding is vital to our organization and for the district, so canceling wasn’t an option. The programs supporting small businesses in the district are needed now more than ever and the health and safety of the attendees, businesses, and volunteers remains our top priority in making decisions.”said Brooke Prouty, Director of Uptown Marion, “I’m so proud the Organization Committee and I were able to create a safe solution to host this event while exceeding past fundraiser goals.”
2020 Eat. Drink. & Be Marion “AT HOME” attendees purchased a pub crawl kit on Marion.ShopWhereILive.com where they could also purchase virtual items such as “The amount you would have spent on a round of drinks for friends”. The kit included an Uptown Logo’d Tumbler, a Raygun t-shirt “Marion: Progressive in a roundabout way”, swag, activities and options for carry-out dining and drinks. Attendees were encouraged to purchase to-go orders from bars and restaurants before heading home to open their kit, don their shirts, and tune into the Facebook live entertainment. Live entertainment was streamed from the Giving Tree Theater where prizes were given away throughout the night (must be virtually present to win) and music was provided by Kevin Moore. Attendees could also log onto the online auction to bid on experiences such as “A Mediterranean Experience with the Mayor” which included a 10 course dinner of diverse cuisine for up to 16 people hosted by Mayor Nick and Cristiane AbouAssaly. “The auction was very successful! Mayor Nick was generous enough to donate another 2 dinners in addition to the first one which went a long way towards hitting our fundraising goals” said Brooke Prouty. “The Uptown Marion supporters really showed up for this ‘at home’ event and made all the difference”.
Eat. Drink. & Be Marion Fundraiser is an event planned and run by the Uptown Organization committee. This group of dedicated volunteers work to engage businesses, partners, and Uptown enthusiasts to raise the funds necessary for the operation and success of Uptown programs.
This year’s planning committee: Marcus Ramirez, Madeline Jarvis, Laura Mach, Michelle Rains, Tim Higginbotham, Lori Bowman, Kim Rehn, Eli Cochrane, David & Victoria Manu.
This event was made possible by the following sponsors: Hills Bank, Marion Dental, Carpet King Carpet One, Marion Hy-Vee, The Trenarys, The AbouAssalys, Giving Tree Theater, Coldwell Banker Hedges Realty, Bistro 3 Nineteen, SCOUT of marion, Bouslog Insurance Corporation, Lundahl, Hatt and Austad Tax Services, Uptown Snug, Farmers State Bank, Di Moda Boutique & Designs by Michele, Brick Alley Pub & Sport Bar, General Mills
T-shirts and tumbler cups can still be purchased here: marion.shopwhereilive.com/vendor/uptownmarion/
The annual Logo’d tumblers will be utilized for Uptown promotion nights in the district businesses when it is safe to do so. Watch for future dates where you can use your tumblers for discounts!
Uptown Marion is a nationally accredited Main Street Iowa district that drives continued revitalization, growth, and preservation of historic character through appropriate design, promotion, and economic strategies that improve the local community.
